Released star in Damage CTRL, additional Shield member - 5 WWE Superstars who were originally pitched for iconic stables
Being part of a popular faction is rarely a dream for a WWE Superstar. Most wrestlers want to get over with the WWE Universe on their own and headline a WrestleMania or two. However, being a member of a faction that connects with fans is incredibly valuable and can help propel a superstar towards main-event status.
There have been countless failed stables throughout the history of professional wrestling, but the ones that work are remembered forever. For example, all three members of The Shield have become household names in the wrestling industry due to the immense popularity of the group.
Listed below are five WWE Superstars who were originally pitched for iconic stables.
#5. Former WWE Superstar Peyton Royce was pitched to be in Damage CTRL
Happy birthday Daddy ๐ค
@ShawnSpears https://t.co/BLgv8Mtp2J
Peyton Royce was a part of the popular tag team, The IIconics, alongside Billie Kay in WWE. The duo captured the Women's Tag Team Championships at WrestleMania 35 but were released from the company just a few years later.
Billie Kay and Peyton Royce were both released on the same day in April 2020. Since their release, they had a brief run with Impact Wrestling before focusing on modeling work. Peyton Royce, now known by her real name Cassie Lee, recently had a child with AEW star Shawn Spears, formerly known as Tye Dillinger in WWE.
Bayley recently disclosed that Peyton was pitched to be brought back to WWE in Damage CTRL. The evil trio debuted last year at SummerSlam and are still in a rivalry with Becky Lynch to this day.
#4. Chris Hero in The Shield
That time Triple H joined the Shield at a #WWE house show ๐คฃ https://t.co/WPX6vOYy4e
Chris Hero, formerly known as Kassius Ohno in WWE NXT, was reportedly considered to be in The Shield instead of Roman Reigns at one point in time. Former AEW World Champion CM Punk pitched the idea but it never came to fruition.
Speaking to Inside the Ropes, Hero addressed the rumors and said that at the time CM Punk pitched the idea, there was no concept for The Shield. Chris now works as a producer for Ring of Honor.
"When Punk pitched the trio of myself, [Dean] Ambrose and [Seth] Rollins, there was no Shield concept. It was just, โHey, letโs pair these three guys with me.โ So, technically I was never supposed to be a member of The Shield because The Shield didnโt exist when this was pitched," said Chris Hero. [H/T: Post Wrestling]
#3. Baron Corbin in the Wyatt Family
I actually thought Baron Corbin would win the WWE title back in 2017 smh ๐ญ
Baron Corbin has had an incredibly difficult time lately on WWE RAW. He brought in JBL as his manager to help steer him in the right direction, but the WWE legend recently ditched Corbin and claimed that there was no helping him. Corbin's career may have turned out much differently if he had started as a part of the Wyatt Family.
Former NXT star Judas Devlin revealed in an interview with Solo Wrestling that he and Baron Corbin tried out to be members of the Wyatt Family back in the day.
โI actually did a few promos with Bray Wyatt in front of the camera with Dusty [Rhodes]. They tried a few people, Baron Corbin kinda tried out for it as well. Ultimately, I think I could [have gotten] that spot, but then I got injured.โ
#2. Tegan Nox was pitched for a part in Damage CTRL
Bayley on Damage CTRL. The original members she had in mind, how she pitched it to Triple H, how it fell apart, how it finally happened, and wanting to add two more members. https://t.co/9GKJJC49Nf
Bayley was recently interviewed by unbiased journalist Ariel Helwani for BT Sport and revealed that both Peyton Royce and Tegan Nox were considered for Damage CTRL. Tegan recently returned to the company and had a brief partnership with Liv Morgan.
She appeared on this past Friday's edition of SmackDown and helped Natalya. The Queen of Harts was attacked by Shayna Baszler and Ronda Rousey after losing a singles match to The Queen of Spades. Nox has been treading water since her return to the company and would have greatly benefited from being a part of Damage CTRL.
#1. Mark Jindrak was supposed to be in Evolution
Former WWE Superstar Mark Jindrak was originally supposed to be in the iconic Evolution stable but was replaced by Batista. The 45-year-old even filmed vignettes with the group but was unceremoniously kicked out.
Chief Content Officer Triple H buried Jindrak during an episode of Ruthless Aggression on WWE Network and compared Mark's attitude to that of a third-grader.
Speaking on the Cafe de Rene podcast with former superstar Renรฉ Duprรฉe, Jindrak responded to The Game's comments and said that some of them were false.
โHe was kind of spot on. Itโs funny how blatant he was. He blatantly buried me. Some of the things were false. Iโll tell you what was true, was me and [Randy] Orton were f***ing, as he called [us], ja***ffs. We were ja***ffs, and Rene will tell youโฆ me and Orton would travel together and sometimes guys would make the mistake [of traveling with us]," said Mark Jindrak.
Evolution went on to become a lynchpin group in the Ruthless Aggression era, with Triple H, Randy Orton, and Batista dominating the main event scene. Meanwhile, Jindrak was released from his contract in July 2005.